After my death, my husband didn't avenge me. He fell in love with my killer. He spoiled her rotten. They spent their nights lost in passion. Once, when she casually mentioned my name, Sebastian’s voice turned to ice. "Why bring up a dead woman? It's morbid." Ally smiled, pleased. She thought Sebastian had truly forgotten me. She didn't know that the man who came to her bed each night, the man who let her believe she was driving him wild, was a stranger—a madman, a fool paid to play a part. And Sebastian watched from the shadows, filming everything. Then, at her son's christening, he played the tape for the world to see. 1 "Congratulations, Mrs. Croft. You're pregnant." The doctor's words sent a wave of pure ecstasy through me. Sebastian and I had been married for ten years, and the childless ache in my heart had been my greatest sorrow. Now, the dream was real. I reached for my phone, desperate to share the news with him, but before I could even dial, Ally burst into our home with her men. She shattered my phone on the floor. Her bodyguards dragged me from the bed and forced me to my knees. I instinctively curled my body, trying to shield the tiny life in my womb. Ally saw the movement. Her face twisted in a mask of rage, and she struck me across the face, her voice a venomous hiss. "You're pregnant?" "How could a washed-up old hag like you deserve Sebastian? How dare you be his wife! How dare you carry his child!" "You should just die! If you were dead, Sebastian would finally see me. He would marry me!" "Everything would be perfect if you just died." Her eyes were wide with a hysterical madness. I stared at her, thinking she was completely insane. I knew she was obsessed with Sebastian, and I knew she hated me. But I never imagined she would kill me. I fought, but her men were too strong. They dragged me up to the roof terrace. And then, with a light push, she sent me over the edge. There was a sickening thud. I hit the ground. Agony unlike anything I had ever known consumed me. Blood blurred my vision. I managed to turn my head, my eyes falling on the rose garden below. The buds were just beginning to open. Roses were my favorite. Sebastian had planted the entire garden himself, tending to each bush with a devotion that bordered on worship. Before he left on his business trip, he had promised me, "Elara, my love, when I get back, we'll sit in the garden and drink tea among the roses." Sebastian… I don't think I can keep that promise. I tried to keep my eyes open, tried to cling to life, but the fall was too far. The pain was too much. I just wanted to sleep for a little while. Just until the hurting stopped. 2 Perhaps my death was too unjust, because my soul didn't scatter. It drifted away from our home, through the crowds and the buildings, until I found myself at Sebastian’s side. He was in his office. His assistant stood before him, suit immaculate, but with a faint flush of alcohol on his cheeks. They must have just come from a business dinner. "Mr. Croft," the assistant said, beaming. "With this new contract, our company's cash flow is secure. I'd like to see that old bastard, Ally’s father, try to threaten you with pulling his investment now." The Shen family. Ally’s family. One of the city’s most powerful dynasties, with money, connections, and influence that ran deep. Sebastian’s first venture fund had come from them. He had always been grateful for their trust, even giving Ally’s father a stake in the company when it took off. Only later did he realize the investment was just a tool. Ally’s father had backed him because Ally wanted him. "It’s disgusting," the assistant continued, his voice laced with contempt. "You’re a married man, but they keep forcing you into these dinners with her. No shame at all. And when you refuse, her father conspires with other firms to cut off our supply chain. If she were such a prize, why hasn't anyone else married her? She's a spoiled, arrogant brat. She can't hold a candle to your wife." My heart, or what was left of it, clenched. Sebastian’s brow furrowed. He shot his assistant a cold look. The assistant blinked, confused, then asked, "Sir, your wife wasn't too upset about this business trip, was she…?" Sebastian froze for a second. When he spoke, his voice was stiff. "She has a gentle nature. She doesn't get angry with me." The assistant’s smile was knowing. He saw right through the lie. First, my fiery temper was legendary. Second, it was no secret that we bickered constantly. Third, the assistant knew for a fact that I had kicked Sebastian out of the house after a massive fight right before he left. And the fight had been about Ally. 3 Ally had always targeted me. Last month, at my birthday party, she’d “accidentally” stumbled into me, spilling red wine all over my dress in an attempt to humiliate me. I slapped her, hard. It felt good. The next day, Sebastian hired her as the company's chief designer. The gossip columns had a field day. That night, Sebastian and I had the worst fight of our lives. I screamed at him, accusing him of having feelings for her. I called him heartless, a coward for not defending me. I cursed myself for ever falling in love with him. He stood there and took it, not saying a word. Furious, I threw him out. He didn't come home after that, though he still came by the house every morning to water the roses. The day before he left for his trip, he told me he’d be gone for two weeks. I turned my back on him. He sighed, then leaned in and kissed me gently. "Elara," he whispered. "Wait for me to come back." I had thought he was genuinely softening toward Ally. I thought he had brought her into the company because he was giving in to her. I never knew he was being blackmailed, that our company’s survival was on the line. This whole business trip was a desperate bid to find a stronger partner, to finally break free from her family’s control. I had been so wrong. "You can go now," Sebastian said to his assistant. The man nodded and left. Sebastian pulled out his phone, his thumb hovering over my name in his contacts. He hesitated for a long, long time. Finally, he began to type. Elara, is everything okay at home? He paused, listening to the rain drumming against the window. He sighed and continued. I was wrong the other day. When Ally went after you, I should have defended you, not hired her. I wasn't thinking about your feelings. I’m sorry. There were reasons, I swear. When I get back, I’ll explain everything. I’ll fire her in front of everyone. I’ll make it up to you. I miss you so much. Only two more weeks. When I get back… can I have a kiss? 4 Reading the words over his shoulder, I felt a thousand phantom knives pierce my chest. A sharp, searing pain. I watched the small, hopeful smile play on his lips as he typed—a smile full of longing, apology, and anticipation. He was already dreaming of the moment he’d be home with me. My heart twisted violently. If I had known that would be our last goodbye, I would never have wasted it on anger. I reached out, wanting to rest my head on his shoulder. He used to hold me all the time, his embrace tight and warm. I used to tease him, this powerful CEO, for being so clingy. He would just grin. "It's not illegal to be addicted to your wife." But now, when I reached for him, my arms passed through empty air. I watched him read the message one last time before hitting send. He waited, his eyes fixed on the screen, expecting my reply. But the screen remained blank. He frowned slightly. He started to dial my number, then stopped himself, murmuring, "She's probably still angry. I just need to finish this work and get home to her." He called his assistant back in, and they threw themselves back into their work, a relentless, round-the-clock push. As night fell, the assistant went home, but Sebastian kept going, fueling himself with bitter coffee and stale bread. I watched him, a cold wind of grief howling through my soul. He was so full of hope, so eager to come home to me, to sit by the roses and read together. He didn't know I was already dead. He would never see me again. The thought was a physical blow, hollowing me out until there was nothing left but a gaping, bleeding wound. 5 The next day, still no reply. Sebastian started to panic. He called the house landline. One of the maids answered. "The missus is having her afternoon tea." "She says she doesn't want to talk to you." "She says you need to learn your lesson this time." I could even hear my own impatient voice in the background. Ally had planned this meticulously. She had bribed the staff and was using an AI voice cloner. My fight with Sebastian had given her the perfect cover. He didn't dare push me too hard. Even if he had demanded a video call, I'm sure she would have found a way. She fooled him completely. He told the maid to make sure I was eating properly, then hung up and went back to work. I watched him down cup after cup of black coffee. I knew he was desperate to see me. But what could I do? Sebastian, we would never see each other again. And he had no idea. That night, back in his hotel room, I watched him gently trace our picture on his phone's wallpaper. In the dim light, the harsh lines of his face softened. He was a man who had clawed his way up from nothing. He was ruthless, calculating, and cold. But in recent years, as the company grew, he had sanded down his sharp edges, becoming polished and diplomatic. Sometimes, I worried he had changed too much, that he was no longer the man I had married. I worried, as the tabloids suggested, that his heart had strayed to the vibrant, younger Ally. The fear had taken root when he hired her right after she had publicly humiliated me. It’s why I had lost my mind, why our last conversation was a storm of ugly, hateful words. I drifted closer to him, resting my head on his shoulder, and whispered, "I was wrong about you. I'm so sorry." Suddenly, Sebastian stopped what he was doing. I thought, for a wild second, that he had heard me. I looked up, a flicker of hope in my soul. This silence was unbearable. But then his phone rang. It was the hospital. "Hello, am I speaking with a relative of Ms. Elara Croft?" 6 "Ms. Croft came in for a check-up last week. We're calling to confirm that she is one month pregnant." Sebastian shot to his feet, a look of stunned disbelief on his face. He made the doctor confirm it three times. When the truth finally sank in, his eyes grew bright with unshed tears. "Mr. Croft, would you like to reserve a maternity suite for your wife?" Of course, he would. He booked the most luxurious suite, complete with 24-hour private medical care. He paid the deposit without a second thought. As soon as he hung up, he called my number. "I" answered. He was beaming, his voice overflowing with joy. "Elara, you're pregnant! You have to be so careful. I’ve arranged for a private chef who specializes in prenatal nutrition. He’ll be at the house tomorrow. Are you feeling sick? Are you having any symptoms? Morning sickness?" The questions tumbled out of him. But the voice on the other end was calm, almost detached. "Yes, I am. I was going to surprise you when you got back. I feel fine. Everything is fine." The voice was mine, but something was wrong. Sebastian’s smile faltered. He was silent for a moment, then asked, "Elara… do you miss me?" "I" gave a soft laugh. "Of course, I do." Sebastian laughed too, pretending everything was normal. But the moment he ended the call, his face hardened into a mask of stone. He took a deep breath and dialed his assistant. His voice was like ice. "Book me on the first flight out tomorrow morning. I'm going home. You and the team will handle the rest." Ally had made a mistake. She didn't know that Sebastian never, ever called me Elara. Not in private. To him, that name was a nightmare. 7 We grew up together in an orphanage. The director was a kind, matronly woman who always called me by my full name, Elara. It was her special, loving nickname for me. Then, one night, she led me to a rich businessman’s room, smiling that same loving smile. "Her name is Elara," she'd said. "The prettiest girl in the whole orphanage." That was the night I learned that her love was a lie, that she was a monster who sold children. Sebastian nearly died getting me out of there. After that, the name Elara became a ghost that haunted my sleep. Sebastian knew this. He would never use it. He was testing the person on the phone. And she had failed. Sebastian was coming home. At the airport, he kept lighting up his phone screen, his eyes full of worry as he stared at my picture. A woman sitting next to him smiled kindly. "You must love her very much." Sebastian looked up, startled. He glanced down at the silver band on his finger, and a rare, boyish stubbornness entered his expression. "She's my wife." His wife, for life. "And we're going to have a child," he added, a proud smile spreading across his face. A faint blush crept up his ears. "I'm going home to be with her." The woman congratulated him warmly. Watching him, my heart ached. He was flying toward a dream that had already been shattered. "How long have you been married, to be so in love?" she asked. Sebastian didn't have to think. "We've known each other for thirty years. Been married for ten." 8 We met when we were three. We fell in love at sixteen. We married at twenty-three. When we started, we had nothing but each other. From twenty-three to thirty-three, I was by his side as he fought his way from a small town to the heart of the city. I gave him every penny I had saved. We worked multiple jobs, side-by-side, until we were numb with exhaustion. We lost a child during that time. A silent, tiny life that took root in my womb and was torn away two months later. The pain was unbearable. Lying in that hospital bed, I wept until I had no tears left. Sebastian cried harder, blaming himself, hating himself for failing me. "My love, I'm so sorry." But apologies couldn't bring our baby back. I told him it was okay. I told him we would have another. I never imagined I would lose another child, this time along with my own life. The thought brought a fresh wave of agony. Where had Ally hidden my body? I must have been a gruesome sight after a fall like that. Would Sebastian even recognize me? Would he find my killer? Would he avenge me? I floated closer, placing my hand over his, trying to feel his warmth. He had been awake all night and was starting to doze off, his eyes half-closed as he stared at my photo. I rested my head on his shoulder and whispered, "Sebastian, I miss you." So close, yet a world away. Sebastian, please find me. Five hours later, the plane landed. At the same moment, his phone rang. It was the police. "Hello, are you a relative of Ms. Elara Croft? We need you to come to the hospital. Ms. Croft fell from Blackwood Cliff this morning. She was deceased when she was found."
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